Indian cricket team decided to bowl first in their last Super 4 match against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2023 on Friday, September 15. As expected, the management made as many as five changes to their playing eleven having already secured a spot in the final of the tournament. India handed an ODI debut to youngster Tilak Varma who came in the place of star batter Virat Kohli.
Kohli's inclusion came as a surprise for the fans who haven't played much cricket lately. He didn't get a chance to bat against Nepal in the group-stage game but batted against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4 round. However, the star batter entertained the fans at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium when he entered the field during the third over of the game.
Kohli and Mohammed Siraj walked out to carry drinks for the team and then the former ran hilariously to entertain the fans. He had no complaints about his snub for the game as he was full smile while carrying the duties of water boy. A video of Kohli's antics clearly caught the eyes of many and has gone viral on social media.
Meanwhile, India also gave rest to Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav. Tilak made his ODI debut while Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami were given a chance to impress ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023 in India. Virat Kohli and the other four dropped names are expected to return in the next game when India take on Sri Lanka in the final of Asia Cup 2023 on September 17.
Bangladesh Playing XI: Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna
